Tuesday, 26 June 2012

The official ‘Volvo Ocean Race Festival Galway’ App is now available for download. The free app is a must for all visitors to Galway during the festival which begins on 30 June, providing maps, a full festival programme and lots of visitor information about Galway City. The app has been created by a team of experts based at the Digital Enterprise Research Institute (DERI) in NUI Galway. Pictured is Dr Martín Serrano, who is based at DERI in NUI Galway and one of the creators of the app. Photograph by Aengus McMahon

While the Quadrangle is relocated for the nine-day festival

The official ‘Volvo Ocean Race Festival Galway’ App is now available for download. The free app is a must for all visitors to Galway during the festival which begins on 30 June, providing maps, a full festival programme and lots of visitor information about Galway City. The app has been created by a team of experts based at the Digital Enterprise Research Institute (DERI) in NUI Galway.

The app also includes a number of DERI’s research technologies; ‘Connect and Chat’ allows users to connect with other app users and chat, ‘Galway Compass’ provides users with the locations of key amenities and services near them, ‘Tweet Cliques’ analyses the twittersphere and presents the user with a list of the most relevant tweets relating to the festival. Also, there is a list of live webcams from around Galway that can let the user check for themselves where is busy around the city and docks.

With tens of thousands of visitors expected over the nine-day festival, the app will allow individuals to make the most of the experience, while able to track their friends and network with groups.

Professor Manfred Hauswirth, Vice-Director of DERI at NUI Galway, said: “This app demonstrates the leading role of DERI in cyber-physical systems. DERI technology makes real-world sensor input easy to use in any application.”

With over 140 researchers, DERI is the largest web science institute of its kind in the world, but were thrilled to get behind this local project as Professor Hauswirth explains: “We really embraced the whole concept of ‘get onboard’ for the festival, so developed this unique app which is a must for every visitor.”

The app is available for free from the Apple App Store and from the Google Play Android store. The app will be updated and improved as new information becomes available so please check for updates during the festival.

NUI Galway is also the official education partner of Volvo Ocean Race Galway’s volunteering programme, and will bring its considerable experience in the field of volunteering and community engagement to the event to recruit the ‘small army’ of volunteers needed to support the overall festival.

NUI Galway Quadrangle Relocated to the Global Village

NUI Galway has also created a partial replica of its iconic Quadrangle building, which will be a feature of the Global Village at the Volvo Ocean Race.

The Global Village is a free exhibition arena, open for the duration of the festival, located in South Park. The NUI Galway pavilion will be a central attraction, recreating a sense of the University’s iconic Quadrangle building, which dates back to 1845.

Inside, the NUI Galway pavilion will look to the future, with interactive demonstrations and exhibitions showcasing the cutting-edge innovation and research for which the University has a world-wide reputation.

“This is the largest sporting event in Ireland this year, and a wonderful opportunity to promote all that is great about Galway”, said NUI Galway President, Dr Jim Browne. “The event had almost 100,000 visitors to the City last time round, over half of whom came from abroad, with significant international media reach also. Our whole-hearted involvement, in the volunteering aspects of this event and in the exhibitions, is a reflection of the importance of reaching such a world-wide audience.”

The NUI Galway pavilion will feature four zones and an ideas lab, highlights will include:

Ideas Lab: This self-contained room within the pavilion will feature a daily 3D Tour of the Universe at 11am, 1pm, 3pm and 5pm. Also a series of short talks will cover: Goal-line Technology; Wind and Ocean Energy; Car Technology; Breast Cancer Detection Techniques; Smartphone Technology; and Computer Modelling of Coastal Waters.

Exploration Zone: Interactive demos and exhibitions including footage from underwater expeditions, marine creatures in touch tanks, a fun seaweed exploration station and a display of oceanographic equipment.

Innovation Zone: Exhibits and displays on the latest Medical Technologies; Information Technology; Energy and the Environment; and Engineering the Future.

Creativity Zone: Fun creativity exhibits including film sets and films from the Huston Film School; archive exhibits and drama.

Activities also include an Alumni Family Day to which all NUI Galway graduates are invited on 8 July.

Innovation and Marine Pavilions

NUI Galway will also have a presence in the Innovation and Marine Pillars at the Global Village, while a separate Speaker Session pavilion in the Global Village will feature some of NUI Galway’s experts.

The Innovation Hub will feature the ‘Computer and Communications Museum of Ireland’ which is being re-located from DERI at NUI Galway to the Global Village. This unique science heritage facility tells the fascinating story of key moments in the development of communications and computing technology from ancient hieroglyphics to today’s Internet.

The array of electronic artefacts on display includes such iconic computers as the DEC PDP11, Apple II, Macintosh, IBM PC, ZX81 & Commodore Vic-20. There are also exhibits dedicated to Youth & Innovation, Women in Technology, Radio, Irish Computing & a vintage video games section that includes the legendary ‘Pacman’, ‘Space Invaders’ and ‘Asteroids’.

The hub will also have an array of science and engineering activities that should appeal to all ages including K’nex modelling, CoderDojo workshops and the local 091Labs electronic makers club. It will also be a starting point for the Galway Simon Treasure Hunt.

In addition, the Inmarsat Film Lecture in association with NUI Galway’s Huston School of Film & Digital Media takes place on Thursday, 5 July in the Galway Race Village, and will present a unique sense of what is required of an extreme sports reporter onboard a multi-million dollar round the world racing yacht.